Knee bracket arrangement for millingmachines, particularly copying-milling-machines



March 8, 1955 K. ZWICK 2,703,510

KNEE BRACKET ARRANGEMENT FOR MILLING-MACHINES, PARTICULARLYCOPYING-MILLING-MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 74 75/716?mm 7' z W/K'K,

' JITUPA/[Q- March 8, 1955 K. ZWICK 2,703,510

KNEE BRACKET ARRANGEMENT FOR MILLING-MACHINES, PARTICULARLYCOPYINGMILLINGMACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 K. ZWICKMarch 8, 1955 KNEE BRACKET ARRANGEMENT FOR MILLING-MACHINES,PARTICULARLY COPYING-MILLING-MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 5,1951 United States Patent KNEE BRACKET ARRANGEMENT FOR MILLING-MACHINES, PARTICULARLY COPYING-MILL- ENG-MACHINES Kurt Zwick, Munich,Germany, assignor to Hans Deckel and Friedrich W. Deckel, Munich,Germany Application September 5, 1951, Serial No. 245,242

4 Claims. (Cl. 90--13.1)

chine dare not exceed certain standard values, the diulfilh ment of theabove-stated conditions encounters great difiiculties with suchmachines. These diflicul-ties consist in the fact that a large workingrange can only be obtained at the expense of the height of thehastened-on workpiece, and if the working range is to be increased, thiscan only be done due to the shorter length of the ways of the console,and this results, due to the smaller reach, in a smaller working rangein the plane.

It has heretofore been attempted with previous machines to obtain reliefin such a way that, in order to get a greatest possible height of thefastened-on workpiece, the ways of the console are shortened in advance;and, for the working of flat workpieces special set-on tables have beenemployed, which are supposed to compensate the deficient movability ofthe console. Such arrange ments, however, are complicated and ti-meconsuming, and hence uneconomical.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages ofthe previous machines, and to create a machine which is, due to itsgreat working range, universally employable, as well as simple and rapidin operation. This result is accomplished according to the invention insuch a way that the knee brackets, serving to carry the preferablytransversely-movable tables, that is the working or model table, areadjustably disposed in ways on an intermediate knee bracket, whichlatter is in its turn mounted for supplemental displacement on themachine, preferably on the machine pillar. With this arrangementaccording to the invention, therefore, the magnitude of the totalmovability of each of the consoles, is give-n by the magnitudes of themovabilities of the knee brackets and that of the intermediate kneebracket. In this way there can be obtained practically twice themovability of the table for the same dimensions of the machine. Themachine of this invention permits the vertical adjustment of the kneebrackets carrying the model and the workpiece within the limits of thetop and to the bottom of the machine and also the relative or separateadjustment of said knee brackets. The range of adjustment of the kneebrackets is increased over that heretofore possible. The increase of theheight tor operations on the "fastened-on workpiece obtained by means ofthe intermediate knee bracket is one of the important advantages of myinvention. It, tor example, the workpiece is high and the model is flat,it is not necessary to resort to the use of special underlai'd blocks incarrying out operations on the machine of my invention.

A preferred form of the invention is set forth in the specificationhereinafiter following by reference to the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 shows a copying-milling-machi-ne in front elevation, embodyingthe invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the machine shown in Pi g. l; and

Pig. 3 shows a top view of the machine of Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings in detail the pillar '10 of the 2,703,510Patented Mar. 8, 1955 copying-millingmachine is provided with verticalways 12 on which there is displaceably mounted Ian intermediate kneebracket '14. The movement of the intermediate knee bracket 14 along theways '12 is controlled through rotation of a handwheel v16. 'With theaid of conventional means, not necessary to illustrate here, theintermediate knee bracket l14 can be fixed in any position.

The intermediate knee bracket 14 is provided with two vertical ways 11%,20, :on which there are displaceably mounted the knee brackets 22 and24, respectively. The handwheels .26 and 28 are respectively arrangedtor controlling the displacement of knee brackets 22 and 24; the kneebrackets can be tfixcd in their prevailing position relatively to theintermediate knee bracket r14 with the aid of conventional means, notshown here. The knee bracket 22 carries a worktable 3'4, transverselydisplace able under control of handwheels =30, 32, while on the kneebracket 24 another table 36, that is the modeltable is mounted, likewisetransversely displaceably through the intermediary of two turnbu-ttons38, 40.

The tables 34, :36 can, with the help of a coupling 42, be rigidlycoupled in a particular position relatively to each otherin such a waythat the movement of both of the tables 34, 36 in the plane only occursunder control of the displacing means of the one table, for example, thehandwheels 30, 3.2 of the table 34.

The pillar also carries an articulation system 43 of a conventionaltype, in which there are mounted by means not shown the tool 44 and thecopying peg "46. With the aid of a handle 48 on the articulation system43 this system, together with the tool 44 and the copying peg 46, can bemoved by the operator in all directions, in which the working of theworkpiece '49 occurs according to a pattern 50.

As already explained, the knee brackets 22, 24 for the tables 34, 36 areadjustably disposed on the intermediate knee bracket 14, which latteris, in its turn, mounted for supplementaldisplacement on the machineways t1 2. Further, the paths of movement of the two knee brackets arein the same direction as the path of movement of the intermediate kneebracket. Through this arrangement a movement is brought about so thatthe tables can be displaced vert-ically in succession with the help ofthe knee brackets and the intermediate knee bracket. With flatworkpieces, therefore, the knee brackets and the intermediate kneebracket are present in their uppermost position, and, conversely, withparticularly high workpieces, in their lowermost position. With medium,and, of course, also with other workpieces, the individual movements ofthe knee brackets and the intermediate knee bracket can be combined asdesired. In every case, however, the total vertical movement of thetables results from the vertical movements of the knee bracketsthemselves and of the intermediate knee bracket. in view of the factthat the adjustment of the :two knee brackets is approximately equal tothe length of the displacement path of the intermediate knee bracket,there is obtained practically twice the range of adjustment movabilityof the console, and therewith of the tables, for the same dimensions ofthe machine.

Another great advantage of the arrangement according to the inventionresults from the fact that the workand the model-table are verticallydisplaceable on the intermediate knee bracket. Through this there istailor-dad the possibility of extensively equalizing the difference inheight between the workpiece and the model without its being necessaryto resort to the use of special underlaid blocks as is the case withprevious machines. Further, the new arrangement aflords the possibility,at 1:1 copying-milling, to raise and lower the workand the modeltabletogether.

Finally, it still remains to be noted that, in contrast to thearrangement herein described as the model, the expedients according tothe invention could, of course, also be applied to machines with whichthe knee brackets carrying the tables are displaceable in anotherdirection, for example, horizontally.

While a preferred form .of the invention has been shown it is realizedthat modifications may be made and it is to be understood that nolimitations upon the invention are intended other than may be imposed bythe scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is as follows:

1. A copying machine having a machine column and including at least afirst knee bracket supporting a workpiece and at least a second kneebracket supporting a model, an intermediate knee bracket, said kneebrackets being adjustably mounted on said intermediate knee bracketmeans for independently adjusting said first and second knee brackets onsaid intermediate knee bracket, said intermediate knee bracket beingadjustably mounted on said machine column, and means for selectivelycontrolling the position of said intermediate knee bracket with respectto said machine column.

2. A copying milling machine having a machine column, an intermediateknee vertically adjustable on said column, a pair of knees mounted forvertical adjustment on said intermediate knee each of said pair of kneescarrying a pair of horizontally adjustable tables, a cutter coaetingwith one of said pair of tables, a tracer coaeting with the other ofsaid pair of tables, and means individual to said intermediate knee andto each of the knees in said pair of knees for selectively adjustingsaid knees with respect to said machine column.

3. A copying machine having a machine column, two pairs of slides, twoslides included in each of said pairs and movable in at least twodirections, one slide being mounted on a support knee bracket and thesecond slide being mounted on the first one and an intermediate kneebracket, each. support knee bracket being vertically adjustably mountedon said intermediate knee bracket, said intermediate knee bracket beingmounted for vertical adjustment on said machine column, and separatemeans for independently adjusting each of said knee brackets.

4. A copying machine including a machine column, a knee bracket, meansfor adjusting the position of said knee bracket on said column forvertical movement with respect to said machine column, a second kneebracket coupled with one end of said first-mentioned knee bracket andvertically adjustable thereon, a third knee bracket adjustably coupledwith the other end of said first knee bracket and vertically adjustablewith respect thereto and means on said second and third knee bracketsfor supporting a work piece and model, a cutting tool and copying toolsupported with respect :to said machine column in positions above saidsecond and third knee brackets, respectively, and separate means forindependently adjusting the posit-ion of second and third knee bracketswith respect to said first knee bracket.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,889,930 Morton Dec. 6, 1932 2,154,514 Lange Apr. 18, 1939 2,247,462Zwick July 1, 1941 2,357,062 Stoll Aug. 29, 1944

